Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app! It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)
I think that would be me actually, going on 49 years old and can't even throw a GStar Sidewinder 250ft, after playing this game this since the early 90's one would think I would be able to do better then that.
Ok, now I'm curious, and maybe unapologetic about a thread hijack but might help the OP.
Why do you think you have plateaued at such a distance?
I know from my side every time i've filmed myself with the intention of starting a thread here there are issues so glaring I know I need to fix those first before I seek more help. I know now what I will need to do is when I'm throwing well and feel the big issues are fixed film and post my thread... but so far I am pretty sure I know my issues... but i'm also throwing a good distance. Curious about self evaluation in sports in general here.
Momentum has a lot to do with distance. Take baseball....the center fielder can throw the ball from a standstill and tossing from his shoulder. That might get the ball halfway to the infield. Now if he throws from behind him (reach back), it's going further...let's say to the 2nd baseman. If he throws it hard from behind him, he might make the pitcher. But if he runs a short bit while throwing (a run-up), he can throw to home plate. Same with disc golf....every little bit of adding momentum to the disc adds distance, but could take away accuracy.
I've been trying to improve my RHBH throw and someone suggested these steps:
Stand-still with a short reach back and a slowish pull
Stand-still with a full reach back and a slowish pull
Stand-still with a short reach back and a fast pull (start slow, but get fast 'in the pocket')
Stand-still with a full reach back and a fast pull (start slow, but get fast 'in the pocket')
Repeat the above with a one-step, then an X-step.
They said that will help me improve my form and increase my distance as I'm able to add momentum to the throw.
I've been trying to improve my RHBH throw and someone suggested these steps:
Stand-still with a short reach back and a slowish pull
Stand-still with a full reach back and a slowish pull
Stand-still with a short reach back and a fast pull (start slow, but get fast 'in the pocket')
Stand-still with a full reach back and a fast pull (start slow, but get fast 'in the pocket')
That is very similar to the three videos I posted in the original: Standstill with all weight on forward leg, standstill with weightshift to forward leg, standstill with front leg step and weight shift forward. At least that was my thinking. Most of my throws on the course are just the standstill on forward leg.
I now think that I've tried to get a smooth swing but not tried for handspeed, at least not very hard.
I think that would be me actually, going on 49 years old and can't even throw a GStar Sidewinder 250ft, after playing this game this since the early 90's one would think I would be able to do better then that.
I can't throw a gstar sidewinder 250 either. I don't know why, that disc has never gelled with me. Hell. I can throw makos, tursas, wizards 250 but not that frickin sidewinder. Even though it's supposed to be noob friendly, turn over easy, plenty of glide, etc. :wall: Have you ever tried a roadrunner or mamba?
Have you seen this video with Simon and Eagle? At 11:06 Eagle is talking about "Breaking down the Door" from a standstill, but the whole video is worth a watch.
Breaking down the door helped me with understanding where I was hitting, and how I wasn't putting as much speed into my drives as I thought.
It's easy to over-obsess about perfect form and forget that the main component of distance is speed. It's basic physics: the faster the disc goes when it leaves your hand, the farther it will go. Good form should help you generate that speed with less effort, however, you still need to build up the fast twitch muscle fibers and strength to generate that speed as well. I think sometimes, if you obsess too much about drills and individual components of a drive, it's easy to forget that the most important thing is to throw hard.
For the OP, I suggest forgetting about perfect form for a second and just practice throwing hard. The video demonstrates a lack of strength and speed, regardless of the form.
For the OP, I suggest forgetting about perfect form for a second and just practice throwing hard. The video demonstrates a lack of strength and speed, regardless of the form.
Yep, the whole slow is smooth, smooth is far concept pays off more once things are dialed in, but you absolutely need to know/feel what it's like to at least...try to rip the sht out of it.
I played with an older pro this week (60s) who could out-drive me but looked effortless doing it. He maxes out around 350', but his distance is coming from pure repetitive near perfect form--from playing for decades. That muscle memory is solid. Everything is working together. All the angles are right, weight transfer, etc. His X-step was quite slow, not adding any noticeable forward speed, just assisting in weight transfer.
Now compare this to those who can really gun. Watch their faces as they push one out 500'. It is not a peaceful look!
My son, who has what most would call poor form, can stand-still 375' at 14 yrs old. He is getting that thing on its way with a vengeance though and really looks mad in the process.
Good form can get one so far, but sometimes you gotta put that grimace on your face that comes from really throwing the disc out from the nameplate/stamp on top of it...
I feel like I was in a very similar place, though I threw a bit farther. I filmed myself and it looked pretty similar.
I simplified my reach back (now I hold the disk at my chest with a bent elbow and simply straight my arm) and made an effort to stop resting my off hand on my back leg. Those 2 things alone seemed to give me an immediate and repeatable extra 25-30' on my standstill drive, with 50' or so extra on my better throws.
I think I agree, I need to move my hand faster. And throw nose down, and that made me notice something in the Lizotte video.
There is a view from behind (can't tell the time stamp just now because youtube is blocked here) that shows the disc below the level of his hand.
That's not the way I've been thinking of it. I try to line it up with my forearm. For him to do that I think his hand must be more on top, regardless of fingers and grip.
And now we're into 10 days straight of rain. I have a sheet to throw into in the basement but can't tell nose up that way.
Looking back at your 1 step, you start by turning your rear foot backward which undoes any loading back into the rear foot. You can do this in One Leg Drill as the front foot doesn't stride and not really trying to load back into rear foot/leg, but you can not or should not do that when you take a stride with the front foot.
Watch how Kyle rocks back and forth and moves his rear foot closer to target without turning the rear foot, which increases torque/load back into the rear leg/foot to drive back forward.
Looking back at your 1 step, you start by turning your rear foot backward which undoes any loading back into the rear foot. You can do this in One Leg Drill as the front foot doesn't stride and not really trying to load back into rear foot/leg, but you can not or should not do that when you take a stride with the front foot.
Ah hah! I was watching your foot turn that way on your one step and copying it, not understanding it didn't apply to the stride. Now I see. That should help.
It is possible that I am only imagining it, but (about second 4) it looks as if after touching the ground with your right heel you stop the movement completely. Then you start the arm pull. In my opinion, this means that the whole build-up of momentum through weight shifting is interrupted.
...or maybe a step up in weight(like a little 4-6kg kettlebell) or use a hammer attached to a small rope, to really feel the moment when or before the weight would change its direction caused by gravity instead of the centrifugal force of your armswing, to get the exact moment when you have to start the weightshift and the arm pull as one movement.
I think we can kind of compare it to the Hammer Toss Drills Video(from second 33). sw has probably a tiny little stop at the top of the backswing if at all and then it follows one motion with weightshift and armswing. (I know sw does no step in this vid but that's not the point)
In your video you have your arm extended at the top quite a while till your heel goes down and then the forwardmotion follows. For me the movement really looks a bit interrupted.
Thought of posting gifs to compare, but had problems getting them small enough...sorry.
Maybe it's just me misinterpreting the slowmo, but maybe it'll help you out a little bit...hopefully the latter.
I asked one of the local strong players to play a round with me and give me some tips. I thought it might be easier to pick up what I'm doing wrong in person.
He said my standstill form was pretty good, needed to be more consistent on grip, gave me some good advice on putting and strategy.
So back to the soccer fields this weekend to do some video and work on throwing harder.
It's been six months or so (six rainy months here) since I posted.
I attended a 3 hour clinic with Scott Stokely and the style backhand throw he tried to teach me is very different from what I had been working on. I'm trying to give it a fair trial so here's a video of me trying hard to do it his way.
Key differences: he wants a very upright torso with shoulders over hips over feet, a first step loading the front leg, a second step deep behind with a full turn and the reachback happening with that step rather than when the plant leg goes forward, then a full plant step before any pull occurs, then finally the pull in a straight line across the chest. (the straight line pull is supposed to be like a lawnmower at whatever height we are strongest. I think that is more of a mental image than an actual motion of the upper arm, at least that's what I'm trying to do)
What I was doing before, or trying to do, was a hyzer lean forward and a swingback at the same time as the plant leg moves forward, so this is a very different feel and timing.
Try turning the rear foot 45 degrees clockwise instead of pointed 180 from target. And accelerate from the rear foot quicker. You appear to be moving all one speed instead of building acceleration into the plant.
You are starting too vertical and standing up a bit through the shot. Especially the first post. When you lose your spine angle the disc is going to want to slip out. I don't see enough hip rotation either. Really power your right hip behind you through the shot.
The other thing is obviously you are turning back wayyyyy too early. You should be into your x step (on your left foot) before rotating the shoulders back. Why does every pro do this? It creates an elastic type of whip, as the shoulder are moving back and they are stepping forward shifting weight to the right foot, it's that change in rotation that creates so much power. It's like stretching a rubber band and letting it fly.
The other thing is obviously you are turning back wayyyyy too early. You should be into your x step (on your left foot) before rotating the shoulders back. .
Yes I thought so too. But that is exactly how Stokely is teaching it now. I am hoping somebody here knows why, and the pluses and minuses of doing it his way versus the more standard way.
I posted that video of him throwing in 1999, and there he does what you said. But I watched him throw in person about a week ago and he did that step behind reach back, and threw it out of sight. My guess is he's teaching a simplified version for us uncoordinated people that show up at clinics? Dunno.
Or. Thinking out loud. When my hips and shoulders face the back of the tee pad, after the step behind, and then move the plant foot towards the target, it plants rotating the hips into a slightly diagonal line.
Anyway, I'll keep working other drills, but I'm going to see if I can make this work for the next couple of weeks. I threw pretty well (for me) on the course last night after work doing his style drives, but then again I threw a few one legs pretty far too when I had to.
Try turning the rear foot 45 degrees clockwise instead of pointed 180 from target. And accelerate from the rear foot quicker. You appear to be moving all one speed instead of building acceleration into the plant.
I'll work on that, but turning that foot while reaching back is super hard to do. It really limits the reachback, until the time the plant foot starts stepping. interesting. I just tried it a few times and it isn't easy.
If my rear foot points 180, a long back swing is easy, but the foot can't "gas pedal" at all, and all the momentum must come from the plant foot pushing off as it starts to step. Yes definitely I'm moving one speed, I'll work on that too.
